Musings from Ecuador and Holiday Cheers!

My experience in Ecuador was simply magnificent, not to mention life changing!

There were so many amazing moments I could write pages and pages about, which I did, and emailed to those who contributed financially to my adventure, mostly while it was taking place. However, in this blog, I will share with you the highlights of the trip. If you are interested in the long version, please email me at: Laina@lainaorlando.comand I’ll send it to you.

Here is a summary of the primary gifts I received from my experience in Ecuador:

1-) As a mom, I was thrilled to have Spencer with us! The Elevate Films crew loved him, and couldn’t stop complimenting him, his work ethic, and the level of consciousness he lives from. The coolest outcomes is that Spencer has been asked to assist Elevate Films on future projects, including traveling to the next Awakening Giants location in Liberia, West Africa.

Spencer and I have been very tight since he was born. He helped sooth me, as I went through my first dark night of the soul, after my mom transitioned with his innocent, and yet wise, reminders that I was strong and powerful and would get through anything. Once I came through those dark years, and began to live from my light, it was my turn to remind him that his power and strength would get him through his 4-year drug adventure. It’s safe to say we have helped to save each other from our ego’s insanity, and could only do so with unconditional love.

One of the many beautiful moments Spencer and I shared, in Ecuador, was participating in a fire walk together. A first for both of us. I can’t speak for him, but I felt fearless as I walked barefoot across the red-hot embers, and I’m certain part of being fearless was because we were holding hands as we walked over the fire.

2-) As a social being and a spiritual teacher, I loved making new friends, and gaining more colleagues to play and co-create with! It was so much fun witnessing how this group quickly gelled. To me, that was an indicator of the level of consciousness present, where petty ego moments were addressed, and transcended, relatively quickly.

The grooviest part was knowing that, forever, thanks to the cameras being in our faces from sun up to sun down, everything we did was filmed to create a documentary series called Awakening Giants that will serve to inspire others on their spiritual journey. Not only were each of us vulnerable and transparent; willing to work through our own stuff, but we were also strong and supportive for each other, making every one of us as real, and authentic as anyone could be. I firmly believe, based on my experience, that we learn and teach at the same time making our expansion an ongoing process. I am certain this series will make for very inspiring TV!

3-) As an Awakened Being, Aware of our Oneness, I found that during my time on the beautiful land of Ecuador, and on the Galapagos Islands, I got to feel that I am a contributing fiber in the fabric of our planet: Mother Earth/Gaia. Witnessing how God created land, water, air, animals, plants, and people to coexist was simply breathtaking, and heartwarming. I left Ecuador with a renewed sense of service to Gaia and to humanity.

It’s impossible, at this stage of my spiritual journey, to separate anything God created, since He/She is in everything I see. I am so much more mindful about waste, and pollution, and the environmental impact we are making on Mother Earth. At the same time, I trust that Her Consciousness, being one with humanity’s, is also awakening and doing everything it can to cleanse Herself from all that does not belong. After all, as within, so without. I feel very much at peace with all of the natural changes in weather patterns that are occurring, for I see them as Gaia’s dark night of the soul, and what no longer serves her is being purged, shifted, and purified. I truly feel cared for and loved by Gaia, and whatever She needs to do, to heal what we humans have done to each other and to Her, then so be it.

4-) As a visible and tangible self-expression of God, I felt, in every fiber of my being that my life’s purpose is to BE the Presence of God. BE, the Christ Consciousness in form. BE, the Buddha Nature expressed. While in Ecuador, I was—and can feel it now, as I write—moved to tears of joy each time I thought about God. I was given an acronym, a few years ago, to better express what God is to me and to make it easier to name “It,” without adding to the discomfort the word “God” activates in many of us who grew up in organized religions.

The acronym is GSEL, which stands for God—Source—Energy—Love. I really enjoy calling It GSEL, and have been referring to It this way, mostly in my internal conversations. However, while I was in Ecuador, it became evident that I am to openly refer to It as GSEL. Not only does the acronym encompass what God is, but it is playful, and play is one of the primary attributes of The Creator, which I have been guided to embody more.

When we visited the Galapagos I witnessed the natural playfulness of the animals. The wind played with the trees, as if it was a child purposefully messing with another’s hair. And the sea played with the shore, by moving the shells back and forth, as a mischievous baby brother would do with it’s older sibling’s toys. In the Amazon, while we were in the Kichwa Community, where we delivered 20 water filtration systems and spent the day getting to know the Kichwa people, I could also feel GSEL in the playfulness of each of the members of that community. I also saw GSEL’s grace in their faces and in their childlike innocence.

In one day, in Kichwa, I experienced more of the True Nature of GSEL (pronounced Geezel) than I did while studying “about” God when I was younger. Although, over the last 15 years of my spiritual journey to awaken, I have had many life-altering realizations/encounters with GSEL and Jesus, but I felt that the Spirit of our Creator was activated, in a more profound and permanent way, while I was in Ecuador. I could feel the shift in my cells, in my DNA and in my energy field. I returned home feeling more youthful, vibrant, feminine, and playful. Just ask my girlfriends!